UN: Colombia 2nd in World for Internal Displacement

News from Colombia |
on: Thursday, 17 April 2008

A new UN-sponsored report on displacement has reported that Colombia has the second highest number of internally displaced refugees in the world. Only Sudan has more than Colombia according to the study carried out by the Norwegian Refugee Council. The report states that nearly 4 million people are living as internal refugees in Colombia.

The report also points out that the Governments of Colombia, and other countries with high displaced populations, have not properly dealt with the problem. "Despite being responsible for the well-being of citizens within their territory, many national governments in 2007 were still unwilling or unable to prevent people being forced from their homes," said the Norwegian Refugee Councils' Secretary-General Elisabeth Rasmusson.

U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres added that the internally displaced persons, known as IDPs, had to face "the unwillingness or inability" of some governments to provide them with adequate protection and assistance.